It begins.

"For starters, I would like to say it's good to finally meet you, Dante. And I ask that you disregard my earlier remark and action. It was a poorly thought-out joke." Giovanni said with a chuckle.

'You crazy old coot. You think I will let you of that easy?'

Putting on his brightest smile, Dante responded cheerfully. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Grandpa. Mummy and Daddy have told me so much about you. I think you are so amazing, I want to be just like you when I grow up."

"As for what happened yesterday, Mummy and Daddy already told me it was a joke. I am so sorry for not getting it." He added with a sad and shame appearance.

"But don't worry, Grandpa, I will be ready next time. I will understand your joke." He assured with a head nod filled with confidence, determination, and overflowing with cuteness.

A had an ordinary person seen this they would have thought that he admired Giovanni, had forgiving him and was really looking forward to building a relationship with him.

But all those in the room were anything but ordinary. They all had the same thought.

'This kid was definitely still holding a grudge'

Dante Pov

"Well, I'm happy to hear that." The old man chuckled awkwardly.

"Before this goes anywhere, I must ask what your dream is, your goal, and what you hope to achieve?" The old man asked suddenly.

Thinking for a bit, I responded, "To be a hero. The best hero. The greatest hero ever."

'Like I was going to tell someone I just meet my dreams. Although it's not completely a lie, it's not the whole true.'

'I want to be the embodiment of what it meant to be a true hero.' I affirmed.

"That a great and wonderful dream." He praised while writing something on a notepad in front of him.

After he finished, he said

"Here is my offer:

You will be taken to a remote island with all the facilities and resources you might possibly need to prepare you for your future endeavours, whatever it may be.

Experts in various fields will be ready on hand to educate and teach you anything you desire." He paused.

I waited.

He continued

"However, there are a few requirements:

Firstly, you will be heading to that island alone. Your family will not be joining you. You can contact or visit them whenever you wish, but they are not allowed to set foot on the island.

Next, to be a hero, you need to enrol in a hero school at 14 or 15. So before you can even think of enrolling, you will need to pass a test organised by the Vongola based on whatever you decide to do on the island. If you did mainly research, then it would be a research based test. If you did mainly training, it would probably be a physical test.

If you do not pass this test, you will be stripped of all resources and privileges you enjoyed and kicked off the island.

Thirdly, if you do pass the test. You are only allowed to enrol in specific countries for school. You are to be on the list of top 5 heroes in said country before the age of 30.

Can't have you going to a weak country taking the easy way up.

Should you fail to make it into the top 5 before the age of 30, you are to give up your pursuit of being a hero and return to work for the family."

"Do you agree with the terms and conditions put forth?" The old man asked.

All in all, it sounded good. Yes, I was surprised by how nonchalant they all are about ripping a 6 year old from his family to leave on a remote island with a bunch of strangers. But their comfortability with such a thing is all the better for me.

If I agreed to this, I would essentially get unlimited funds and access to every resource I could possibly need. In one sitting, this man had solved every problem I could have had.

Sure, there is the whole test and stripping thing, but it doesn't appear as though he is trying to take advantage of me or humiliate me. So I'm pretty sure the test will be fair if I study well and stick to the training I will most likely pass.

I'm guessing the whole you can come and go as you please while having unlimited funds is to test my self-discipline.

And I am completely okay with giving up if I can not make it into the top 5 hero in Japan by 30. With what I have, it will be a complete disgrace if I don't make it.

It's a good offer, too good to pass up. So I should take it, right?

Taking some time to think a bit more under their expectant gazes. Waiting for me to make my decision.

I take a slow and deep breath in and exhaling. Meeting the old man's gaze. After considering all the possible outcomes I can think of, I responded with a simple

"No."